I had a pretty modest upbringing and luckily it was not a cruise ride. But even for the slightest moment I never felt that I would be as happy someday as I am during my journey and all the happiness I got, it was from the El Shaddai family. They say that Good upbringing is all about training a child to be a good citizen and an asset to society. I am extremely grateful to El Shaddai for giving me this opportunity to share my story.

I am Laxmi Shettar, currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (HR) at Adarsh Institute of Management and Information Technology and I have come a long way from what I was and what I am now. Trust me when I say this you will not believe it because it is all because of El Shaddai. To start with, I would like to tell you how and why I came to this place.

I stay in a very small village in Karnataka. In my childhood, my father was having a tough time alone and couldn’t look after me when my mom passed away. He was broken and separated from his family and there were times that we had no proper shelter and food for our survival.

There were few children from my village who were taken to El Shaddai for a good upbringing. Once their parents got to know about my dad who couldn’t look after me in those days, they suggested to him to get me enrolled in El Shaddai and how their children are receiving nutritious meals, medical check-ups, accommodation and education. My father loved and loves me very much and wanted me to have a tremendous amount of love, care, and support that he thought the stepmother wouldn’t give when he got married again and that El Shaddai could. The moment he got to know about El Shaddai, he decided to take me there so that I get to live a life he wanted me to have, with good knowledge, health and values as the logo of El Shaddai states Loving~Caring~Sharing.

Changing lives of the children is a continuous process; nothing can be done in a limited period. I joined El Shaddai when I was just a 6-year-old baby who didn’t know anything. and that was in the year 2003. I don’t know how I was before joining El Shaddai, but I surely know that if El Shaddai wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t have come so far what I’m today, having a good education and livelihood. I would like to share this; a typical day in El Shaddai began with the children waking up in the morning, having good breakfast and then going on our way to school. We would then return in the evening and rest for a while and then would spend our time with outdoor activities like singing, dancing, gardening and games, followed by dinner and bedtime. They taught me all the basic values of loving, caring and sharing and about leading a happy life and being independent. They helped me to be a strong independent woman with a lot of compassion, confidence and sheer determination. Today whatever I have achieved it’s all because of my family, my El Shaddai family. The friendships made, the lessons learnt, the mistakes made, and all the memories have become a part of me that I can’t ever forget in my dreams.

I would want to take a moment to extend my gratitude towards El Shaddai family for everything and convey my regards to all. I miss all this time and I am extremely grateful to them for giving children like me a better future. All the best and keep up the good work.